


Apple in My Eye

by UnknownCharacter (UnknownRegion)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blindness, Depression, Eye Gouging, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Protective Uchiha Madara, Rare Pairings, Self-Indulgent, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, The Author Likes Puns, The Author Regrets Nothing, Time Travel, Uchiha Fire Sharing, Uchiha Shisui Lives, Uchiha Shisui Needs a Hug, Warring States Period (Naruto), what i need for my writer's block
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:35:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29641023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownRegion/pseuds/UnknownCharacter
Summary: Uchiha Shisui, loyal Konoha shinobi and devoted Uchiha clan member, takes a dive into stagnant waters and is washed ashore to a place before his beloved village has come to be, and clan wars still running amok. Oh, and he mustn't forget that soulmates are a legitimate existence in this foreign, backwater version of his world.
Comments: 67
Kudos: 217





	1. Eye see you

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In The Eye of The Beholder](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21904681) by [Authorship](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authorship/pseuds/Authorship). 



Uchiha Shisui laid flat on his back, regrettably sober with his damp clothes clinging to his body and sharp pebbles digging uncomfortably into his skin. He raised a hand, covered with tremors and no doubt blood, and touched his cheek, unsurprised by the familiar feel that was liquid life on his skin. Morbid curiosity made his somewhat numb fingers trail the source until they dipped disgustingly into an empty socket, causing him to flinch, more so in repulsion than pain. 

( _Shisui_ _stared in_ _apparent horror as_ _fingers_ _,_ _wrinkled and clawed_ _,_ _neared his sight_ _in slow motion_ _, closer and closer, until all he could feel was pain_ _pain_ _pain_ _pain_ _pain_ -) 

Shisui bit his lip. As an Uchiha, the notion of being blind left him frightened and devastated. He hadn't been prepared to live the life of a blind man, especially after the resolve to _unalive_ himself. Fear of Danzo finding him in this vulnerable state, devoid of chakra and sight, left him shaken.

If he was able, Shisui would have pushed past his limits to escape, to _move_ , to warn both his Hokage and clan about Danzo's betrayal, but his legs felt _off,_ his sockets were empty, and the poison in his system continued to run rampant in his bloodstream. If Shisui still had his sight, the world would have been spinning an unappealing shade of puke green right now.

He clenched his fists and unclenched his left hand almost immediately at the feel of a slimy, round object attached to fibre-like strings in his palm. Shisui let loose an unconscious shudder of breath, the thought of holding a part of him, _his eyeball_ , nauseating. To further his feeling of dread, the circular object meant that he hadn't passed it to his intended before he had _jumped_.

( _"-I want you to have it."_ _Shisui_ _showed nothing but his determined will of fire as he pushed_ _past the nausea to gouge_ _his remaining eye_ _. He held his tongue, unwilling to cry out, and presented_ _it_ _with a_ _sombre_ _smile on his face._ _"You're the only one I can trust. Protect the village, and the Uchiha name as well_ _,_ _Itachi_ _."_ )

Shisui had fucked up big time. He regretted having subdued Danzo with just a genjutsu – he should've unalived the power-hungry warmonger and damned the consequences before Danzo's agent had managed to poison him. Even if his Hokage had executed him for unalive-ing one of their village's elders, Shisui could at least perish with the knowledge that he had done the right thing. The true mark of a shinobi was to be a protector who preserves peace from within its shadow. What Shisui had done, or _not_ done, was give Danzo more power.

He couldn't hold the despairing sob from escaping his lips, nor the frustrated tears that fell and mingled with the blood on his face. It was an ugly sight, no doubt, as his body trembled with repress emotions. However, he could still prevent the situation from worsening.

He didn't want to do this if he had other options to fall to, and even his self-preservation instincts were rebelling for him to stop. But more than anything, he didn't want Danzo to have free reign of Kotoamatsukami. Both eyes meant unlimited uses for someone _not_ him, which could mean a devastating and bleak future for his beloved village. Shisui was, first and foremost, a shinobi of Konoha. He never doubted his devotion and loyalty for his village, and he would do more than just blind himself. Once, already, he had resolved to give his life to his village. A second time wouldn't matter.

This time, however, he _must_ be thorough and leave none of his DNA behind.

As a veteran shinobi, he had seen some really fucked up shit during the Third Shinobi World War. What he had learned during his service was that those in the Uchiha clan were precious _materials_ to many shinobi villages, dead or alive. As a child soldier, he had been prepared to die before reaching double digits. However, there was a lingering fear that his corpse would be defiled if it fell into the hands of his enemies ( ~~ _coughKumocough_~~ ). Because of this, Shisui had spared most of his injured days camping in the jounin section of the village's library, researching and understanding 2 seals that would alleviate his worries whilst simultaneously giving him an advantage if captured.

Those 2 seals were explosive seals and storage seals. Yes, they were very basic when compared with many others. However, when combined, they were _devastating_ in result. Shisui had studied the ins and outs of those seals until he was confident enough to experiment on the different combinations and tattoo his finishing product onto the back of his throat. The _explo-rage_ seal, as he called it, has 3 functions to it.

The first function was the usual subspace for his spare blades. The second function was a backup chakra generator; just in case his chakra was sealed, he would still have hidden weapons to call forth, never truly unarmed even in an enemy's cell.

With a crooked grin to hide his repulsion, he brought the eyeball to his lips and pushed it into the seal. Its location left him gagging, as, despite his best effort, he could still _taste_ the stringy veins and eyeball itself as they glided over his tongue.

Shisui wheezed, stomach revolting as he continued to gag. To take his mind off what he had just _kinda_ _swallowed_ , Shisui compartmentalized and brought up the last function of the explo-rage seal. It was his own version of _the_ _pill_ ; something that would erase him completely and leave only ashes in its wake, thoroughly destroying any of his Uchiha DNA and items in the storage section of the seal.

Shisui had planned to use this final function when he _jump_ _ed_. His current predicament was probably a miraculous one-off chance, since the explosion part, as a safety precaution, was made to only activate 10 minutes after he flatlined. This time, however, he _must be_ thorough when he unalives himself. No need for dramatics when alone, a death unwitnessed by none but mother nature.

Shisui fumbled around until his right hand grasped the handle of a kunai and brought it to his neck. It was a messy way to go, to drown in his own blood, but what needed to be done _must_ be done.

With a deep inhale, he steadied his resolve and _pulled_. The tip of the kunai cut into the first layer of his skin, but that was as far as it went. Shisui startled at the feel of a leather-clad hand on his wrist, steel in its grip and preventing him from unalive-ing himself.

It took a second for his brain to register that he wasn't alone, another to realize someone had breached his personal space, and another to _freak_. The touch made his skin crawl, especially after having his right eye plucked rather recently.

In his panicked state, Shisui fumbled to clench his numb fingers into a fist and punched at whoever it was that held his wrist. He was swinging blindly due to his lack of chakra, unable to make up for his sight, and his legs were useless despite his best efforts to utilize them for a takedown.

By pure luck, his fist connected, and his ears picked up a hiss and a grunt, before his other wrist was captured. "Cease and desist!" The clearly male voice ordered, authoritative in its rich baritone.

The unfamiliar voice, filled with emotions he could not identify in his agitated state, made him anxious. The wariness of encountering a shinobi whilst incapacitated made his head spin. He wanted to continue struggling, but previous experiences told him it was unwise. It was better to let the enemy underestimate him until he found an opportunity to attack.

Shisui pushed through the fear and anxiety, and forced his lips into a smirk, full of playfulness and confidence he did not feel; it was the go-to mask he wore whenever he felt insecure. Fake it till you make it. Shinobi rule #14: a shinobi must never show any weakness.

He also wanted his captor to unalive him out of sheer frustration at his cockiness. It was better than the alternative. What if he had ended up somewhere beyond Konoha's borders? The Naka River flowed almost endlessly, and with how much time had passed with no signs of Danzo or Itachi still, Shisui might be facing a shinobi of unknown origin, probably happy to have stumbled across a powerless Uchiha. His clan's crest stitched on his top was more of a hindrance at times like these. 

"If you're looking for Uchiha eyeballs, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Just got mine plucked, see?" He jested, deliberately letting loose a mocking cackle at the end of his sentence, just to be aggravating. "And if you're looking for a stallion, buddy, I must say you're _really_ unlucky to have met me. My Uchiha blood is so diluted it'll be a miracle for any of my spawns to awaken the sharingan."

From what Shisui knew of his lineage, his great-grandfather was a half-Uchiha. His grandfather was a quarter Uchiha. His father was, what, an eighth of an Uchiha? This made Shisui's blood so diluted, he got lucky to have even _looked like_ an Uchiha. His sharingan and mangekyou sharingan were practically miracles in themselves. Now that he thought about it, Shisui must have used up all his life's luck to have ended up like this. Karma sure was a bastard.

Unexpectedly, rather than be violent towards him, the iron grip on his wrists loosened enough to allow blood to flow back into his fingers. Shisui showed no reaction to his captor's carelessness.

" _Who_?" The unknown assailant asked, no _demanded_.

"You'll have to be more specific, pal." As if Shisui would give any names to this unknown. 

"Who did this to you?" There was a protective fury laced within his captor's voice.

The shinobi must be playing the _sympathy_ game with him, no doubt due to Shisui's young features. The Third Shinobi war hadn't gone long enough for shinobi villages to be desperate enough to use kids in his age group – unless they were prodigies, of course. Unfortunately for this unknown captor, Shisui had been thrown to the frontlines quite early into his career, and his eyes tended to reflect the ugly, dark side of him. Again, too bad Shisui was sans eyeballs at this point in time. 

Shisui's smile, for a split second, dimmed at the memory, but he amped it up to not let any weakness show. Shisui wasn't naïve enough to believe that a random stranger would feel anything but opportunity at his misfortune. His smile was all teeth, both predatory and mocking. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

An annoyed _hiss_ was all the response he got from being cheeky. Shisui didn't flinch at the harsh disproval radiating from the shinobi. Rather, he took this opportunity to discreetly reverse their grips so that he was the one holding the captor's wrists. Without hesitation, he used all his strength to tug the person forward, surprising his captor enough for the hissing to stop.

Imbalanced as his captor was, Shisui unhinged his jaw and activated his seal. With how close they were, even an experienced shinobi would have gotten their face pierced. From an outsider's perspective, Shisui looked to have spat out a tanto cleverly hidden inside his oesophagus.

Unfortunately, his captor must be a fellow war veteran to have such mature reflexes. The wrists were gone from his grasp and in turn, his tanto stolen and face shoved to the side. The leather-gloved hand had his jaw and neck in its grasp, secured tightly to prevent the same trickery from happening again.

This time, there was no mock-gentleness in his captor's actions. Shisui was manhandled until his wrists and fingers were tied together by ninja wire and his lips covered with tape. His legs received the same treatment, bundled together from what he could tell by sound alone. Although, it was concerning that he had heard some of his bones snap at his captor's unhesitant hands but felt no sensations at the touch. Shisui felt that he had either, one, underestimated the poison, or two, had gotten spinal injuries. He wasn't sure which one he'd preferred. 

Shisui sighed through his nose. If he could, he would have asked why his captor had not yet unalived him. He didn't want to suffer any longer. The continual anxiety at his lack of sight was taking its toll on him, even after compartmentalizing.


	2. More than meets the eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shisui might be a little manic right now after learning about his state of affairs.

Shisui didn't know when, but chakra exhaustion claimed his consciousness not long after his second failed attempt at unalive-ing himself.

He woke disoriented.

He felt soft bedding under his fingertips and an equally soft quilt over his body, up to his chin. There was a dryness in his mouth and the bitter aftertaste of antibiotic herbs at the back of his tongue. A familiar, unbending tightness in his legs pointed to them being bound by splints, and the heavy feeling that wrapped around his head and eyes indicated the presence of bandages. Not long, Shisui's nose recognized the calming scent of lavender incense burning in the air, and the soothing warmth of Uchiha fire in his coils – a common occurrence after sharing chakra with his clansmen after an episode of severe chakra exhaustion. A feature uniquely their clan's.

All in all, his senses and past experiences tricked his mind into believing that this was just another day at home, recovering from post-mission injuries and overly strained eyes. Lavender incense was what he tended to burn before bed, its scent calming as it helped relieve any budding headache caused by overexerting his sharingan.

When Shisui heard the purposeful shift of cloth to his right, he smiled. His hand left the warmth of the covers to reach for, no doubt, Itachi. His best friend was the only one who would personally look after his wounded self, his parents both long gone.

"Itachi," Shisui breathed out, not afraid to show his soft and vulnerable side to his loved ones. "You didn't have to share your fire with me; I'll be fine after a few days of rest. But thank you, I -" Shisui cut himself off and retracted his hand as if burnt at the feel of leather rather than flesh. Itachi wasn't the type to wear gloves, only arm guards.

There was only one person who wore leather gloves in his recent encounters. 

Shisui wanted to believe this to be untrue but... he pressed a tentative hand against his bandaged eye sockets, his breathing turned shallow when he confirmed the lack of eyeballs in them. The previous day's events hit him like a sucker punch to the gut, causing him to release a nervous stutter of breath at the realization that he may have been captured and his senses had been tricked by a genjutsu of some kind.

The scent of lavender, along with the warmth in his coil, must have been faked; supplied by his own reassuring memories.

Shisui felt humiliated. For an Uchiha to have fallen for a genjutsu was... unwelcomed, _disgraceful_ some would say. Whilst Shisui was more carefree and laidback than his brethren, he still had his pride. It didn't even matter that he could not distinguish nor dispel it due to the lack of chakra in his system. To have been tricked into a state of carelessness, and in his inattentiveness, had revealed more than just his closeness to his clan's heir, was devastating to a patriotic shinobi like Shisui.

Promptly, he dropped his hand and donned the metaphorical mask of nonchalance.

Shisui purposefully raised his body until he was seated on the futon(?), tensed as he waited for his captor's reaction. Depending on their response, Shisui would have a chance to gage the threat level they deemed him as, and then, plan an escape. Would he be violently reprimanded, or would he be allowed to do at least this much?

When his movements caused no backlash, Shisui took it upon himself to be as daringly annoying as possible. The hypothesis he has for having woken up in a bedroom(?), of _all_ places a prisoner could be, with his wounds tended to, meant that they had sinister plans for him. And Shisui would rather bite his tongue off than be a _stallion_. His Uchiha pride wouldn't let him. And if they tried to force him, Shisui would do his best to drag at least one of them with him to the Pure Lands.

Shisui gave a thousand-watt smile. "We should be acquainted before you start breaking my fingers, it is only polite. May I have the honor of knowing the name of my jailor?" His phrasing was made to sound insincere and impudent, and his expression would give the impression that Shisui cared not for the consequences of his rudeness.

A person who could smile whilst being violently interrogated was unpredictable, and an unpredictable person wasn't ideal for information gathering. They can be cunning by providing false information, and they can be reckless in their unwavering determination for death. All in all, Shisui showed to be a troublesome prisoner, to quote a Nara.

At the continual silence, Shisui huffed. He made a show of over-the-top pouting. "You're not very talkative, are you? I was expecting an interrogation with more bone-breaking and skin peeling. Maybe even a touch of searing and a sprinkle of drowning. Wait, don't tell me... are you _squeamish_? I mean, I can help you with that one. Just hand me a sharp blade and I can desensitize you from gore – and hey, I'll even be sure to add a beautiful neck waterfall for viewing pleasures as a bonus." Shisui would have winked here if he could, but since that... prove to be difficult, he made do with imitating Gai's shiny tooth grin along with a thumbs up.

Again, there was a purposeful shifting of clothes, an almost, dare he say it, _considerate_ gesture from his jailor. "I believe you've gotten the wrong idea," the masculine baritone spoke with a huff.

Shisui instinctually turned his head to face the man but aborted the motion midway. There wasn't a use to facing someone when all he could see was darkness. "Sure..." Shisui made sure he sounded as dubious as he could. "If you say so."

"... Were you alone?"

Oh, the questions have finally started. Wonderful. Shisui shrugged plainly as an answer. He planned to be as difficult as humanely possible. "I don't know, was I?"

"Was _Itachi_ with you when you got caught?"

Shisui remained impassive, the smile having never left his face as he shrugged once more. "I'm not a fan of weasels."

"Are there more of you in danger?" His captor was starting to sound frustrated.

Another shrug. "Define 'more of you'."

" _You_ ...!" A deep inhale was heard, followed by an exhale. It seemed someone was a little short-tempered. Shisui could use this. "You need to tell me so I can _help_. If there are eye -thieves out there hunting for lone Uchiha, we need to know. Despite your unknown origin, you are still _one of us_."

Shisui's brain was working on overdrive, yet outwardly, he remained true to his shinobi training and shrugged yet again. There were so many questions popping in his mind, and despite the ( _genjutsu_ ) scent of lavender incense in the air, Shisui was getting a pulsing headache.

"Stubborn, definitely one of us," another masculine voice spoke dryly. Shisui resisted the urge to spit senbon at the new guy and remained still. With how reliant he was on sight, he hadn't known there was another person present. A mistake he would not make a second time. "Maybe he'll be more cooperative after learning who we are, brother dearest."

Intimidation? If he could, he would've rolled his eyes. It would take _more_ than a name or two to scare him, _Shisui_ _no_ _Shunshin_ , into submission.

"We are easily recognizable- _oh_." Shisui's first captor seemed to stutter as if he had forgotten Shisui's apparent lack of eyeballs.

His second captor seemed unimpressed, judging by the snort he heard coming from his left. Shisui wasn't far behind. "Yes, **_oh_**. Pardon my brother, he is a little dense at times. I'm Izuna, by the way."

"Shut up, Izuna, I'm not slow. _Anyway_ , I am Uchiha Madara," the man proclaimed boldly.

"Uchiha Madara?" Shisui gasped mockingly. He even put his hands on his cheeks as if awed. "As in, _The_ Uchiha Madara, 32nd head of the Uchiha clan? Wao, it's such an honor to meet your esteemed self!" Shisui gushed, but his face remained a deadpan.

"You don't believe me." It was a statement rather than a question.

Shisui went back to shrugging. "I'm blind, not stupid." After all, one; Fugaku was the _35_ _th_ head of his clan. Shisui would need to be 4 generations back to meet the _real_ Uchiha Madara. And two; nobody would dare name their child after the clan's pariah, Konoha's first-ever missing-nin and deepest dishonor.

"Nii-san, allow me to convince our guest," the second voice, Izuna(?), said.

Shisui braced himself. Although he had expected some sort of violence, his heart still picked a beat when he felt warm fingers wrap around his left forearm. Unexpectedly, Shisui felt _fire_ seep into his skin, down into his chakra lines and settle inside his core. He couldn't help it, he gasped and latched onto Izuna's wrist in a death grip. It was instinct for him to seek safety from his clansmen, especially after the trauma he had experienced in the hands of a supposed ally.

While he had his forehead leaned heavily on Izuna's bicep, Shisui's mind was turning at a speed unalike his favourite Body Flicker technique. There was no denying that Izuna was an Uchiha – only those in his clan could share the fire in their veins without burning the recipient. This made Shisui think of _what-ifs_.

What if there had been an Uchiha group unheard of by their clan residing outside Konoha? What if this was an elaborate genjutsu to lower his guard? What if this was actually _the_ Uchiha Madara and _the_ Uchiha Izuna? What if Shisui had somehow travelled 4 generations back in time? What if he was in a coma, dreaming? What if, what if, _what if_?

He could feel fingers in his hair; they raked down his scalp as if in reassurance. It was a calming gesture, one Shisui hasn't had since the passing of his mother, since his father had broke mentally after being crippled in war. All in all, Shisui felt lost, he didn't know how to respond to this situation. Shinobi Academy did not teach him how to react to time travel, it did not have any protocols he could follow, it did not prepare him for this scenario. Shisui would do anything to have his sight right now, to confirm the truth with his sharingan – to see if his two captors ( _hosts_?) had the mangekyou, as per the stories.

What was Shisui supposed to do in this situation?! 

* * *

Shisui didn't know how long it took for him to calm down, but when he did, he got to planning his next move. Seeing ( _hah_ ) that Izuna was still alive and kicking, Konoha must have yet been created. Shisui, despite his displacement in time, still considered himself a devoted Konoha nin. Hence, his loyalty to Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage, remained. And this did not bid well for him if others in his current clan found out.

For now; his self-assigned mission was to make sure that Konoha was built without adding Izuna's death into the equation, and in turn, prevent Madara's _abscondment_.

How Shisui could accomplish that whilst blind, well, that was up for debate. There was no way they would allow him to join them on the battlefield without his sight – Shisui wasn't trained in fighting blind. He didn't know if the medical techniques of this time would be advanced enough to re-implant his eye without damaging it or him, but he doubted it. The risk far outweighed the benefit.

Shisui silently added 'learn to fight blind' into his mission catalogue.

Now that his goal has been set, it was time to think of a suitable backstory for his presence here. He decided to omit being a time-traveller and keep to half-truths. If he remembered right, his great-grandfather was Uchiha Kagami, one of the Nidaime's students. He could claim he had family here, and he had been travelling with his brother Itachi in search of refuge. It wouldn't even be a lie – he did think of Itachi as his brother, and he had been fleeing from danger.

With his mind made, Shisui exhaled and finally released Izuna's wrist whilst straightening up. His mask was back in place as he laughed, a little breathless and a little manic. "Okay. I believe you. I'll answer your questions to the best of my abilities."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support in the previous chapter! It fills me with **DETERMINATION** (｀*ω*´ )o


	3. Breaking the eyes, one pun at a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shisui loves morbid jokes, and if it includes an added bonus of hiding his insecurities from overly observant ninjas, then good for him! Unfortunately, his hosts don't seem to understand his brand of humour.

A contemplative silence overtook the guestroom(?).

Shisui resisted the urge to fidget. He knew that if this was another villa- _clan's_ T&I department, his sudden change of heart would've been downright sus. However, the fire in his coils spoke for itself among them. No trickery or illusion could fake what Izuna had done; he had boosted Shisui's immunity and chakra recovery speed by a whole margin. By the end of today, Shisui might even have enough recovered to use chakra to compensate for his lack of sight.

The two brothers _m_ _ay_ or _m_ _ay_ _not_ be the _actual_ 32nd head/heir of the clan, but they have, without a doubt, Uchiha blood running in their veins. Only those in their bloodline could share the fire between themselves, as researches have been conducted over the span of many generations with only one result to show; non-Uchiha recipients were _cooked_ from the inside out. Even Shisui, whose bloodline was beyond diluted, could share and receive without side effects.

It took a few moments of what Shisui assumed was silent communication between his hosts, before he heard clothes rustling and heavy footsteps as Izuna moved to his brother's side. It indicated their readiness, and Shisui was grateful for their consideration, as any shinobi worth their salt could walk with nary a sound.

( _But gratefulness did not mean he_ _wasn't_ _chagrined_ _at being treated like_ _broken_ _glass_ _, which made him_ _even more ashamed_ _for being so unappreciative of their_ _thoughtfulness_ _._ _They didn't have to_ _, but they did anyway._ _Shisui_ _should just suck it up and accept his fate of being a burden_ _from now onwards_ _; just like his late father... who couldn't handle being a liability anymore and became_ _severely_ _depressed,_ _and_ _ten years old_ _Shisui found him swaying on the ceiling–_ )

"Then, let's start over. What's your name?" Izuna prompted, timely snapping Shisui from the onslaught of bad memories and _ideas_.

In a show of cooperation, Shisui turned his head so that he was potentially facing them, an expression of earnestness on his features. His tongue darted out to wet his chapped lips before his mouth parted. "Shisui."

"... Death by drowning (死水)?" Madara murmured, his tone showing his apprehension. "Your parents must be interesting folk to name their son that."

Shisui laughed, and _eye_ -ronically enough, he sounded drier than the sands in Kaze no Kuni. "Stagnant water (止水), actually. Although, coincidentally, _d_ _rowning_ had been my first choice. Mind, it would've been tragic if it had worked. Think about it; here lies Uchiha Shisui, drowned to death in stagnant waters. No, wait, that actually sounds hilarious." Shisui's dry laughter turned into genuine amusement when he pictured those words engraved on his tombstone, his shoulders trembling with mirth.

"Quite morbid of you," Izuna stated with an equally dry tone.

Shisui huffed a few more chuckles. "Yes, well, we all have our quirks-" _to hide a part_ _of us_ _we don't want to show any_ _body_ , "But, look at it from my point of view, not _literally,_ of course, you'd only see darkness; anyway, picture this – on the way to visit a departed loved one, you see glorious puns engraved on a tombstone. Not appreciating it would've been a _grave_ mistake. Look at me go, bringing amusement to the masses even after I'm six feet under."

"Right..." Izuna sounded uneasy, which dispersed any mirth Shisui had unable to keep repressed. He felt quite apologetic as he consciously reigned in that dark need to make light of his own death ( ~~ _just so he wouldn't_ _think too much, break too easily_~~ ). Whilst he was indeed laid-back, it did not mean he was tactless.

Shisui knew that some ( _mostly civilians_ ) found his morbid jokes to be quite uncomfortable and callous, and because of their generation gap, Izuna and Madara might not understand his sense of humour more than the modern shinobi did. He should stop before they start thinking him _truly_ suicidal.

"Ah," Shisui acted nonchalant as if he hadn't attempted to break the ice with a joke ( _and_ _failed_ _badly at it_ ). Fake it till you make it. "Could I get a glass of water, please? My throat feels like there's a tanto stuck in there."

This time, he managed to get a brief chuckle of amusement from one of his host, followed by a sulky mutter. He wasn't quite sure which one, but it did make inner-Shisui wipe the imaginary sweat off his forehead and grin happily. Issue: tensed atmosphere. Status: resolved.

With discernible and careful movements, leather-clad fingers guided his hands to what seemed like a wooden, circular tray next to the futon he has been using. In it was what felt like a ceramic pitcher and a matching yunomi teacup, along with a plate of bite-sized fruits.

Shisui waved the offer to help and poured a small amount of water into the cup, blatantly ignoring the trembles in his arms and the hesitance he felt at potential spillages. With a discreet sniff, he took a few tentative sips before draining it in one go. Next, he picked a fruit to nibble on. They didn't taste _off_ , so he gobbled a handful down.

"Slow down. It's not gonna grow legs and run off," Izuna reprimanded. Shisui made a face. He was _starving_. He hadn't known his stomach's dying state before he ingested a consumable.

"Ehem... Moving on," Madara cleared his throat and brought the pair's attention back to the matter at hand. "Do you believe we should send people to search for your brother?"

Shisui's mask almost cracked at the thought of Itachi being _here_ , wherever and _when_ ever here was, but he firmly held onto his metaphorical mask and shook his head. He set the fruits aside, appetite gone.

"No. I appreciate your kindness, but it would be a waste of time." Whilst it did sound reassuring to have Itachi next to him in this unpredicted scenario, to be his grounding rock and motivational factor... Shisui knew that Itachi was needed elsewhere. Shisui has already exhausted his use; his village need not a blunted tool. Hence his decision to _jump_. At least his death would give Itachi the power boost required to fight against Konoha's enemies despite the guilt he felt for having put Itachi through that kind of pain.

A shuffle of cloth later and he soon felt a heavy, leather-gloved hand on his head. It was a clumsy attempt at consoling, but Shisui could feel a prick of heat in his non-existent eyes. He forced himself to swallow down his emotions. He was a shinobi on a mission, and he shouldn't get attached to his hosts, even if they were clanmates and his saviours. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna were too high up in the hierarchy to house and accommodate him ( _who they should assume to be a mission-baby of their clan_ ) any more than they already did.

The gloved hand patted his head one last time before it was removed. Shisui didn't feel anything at the loss of heat. He _didn't_. Whilst Shisui was stubbornly denying that part of him that craved human touch, Madara continued in a neutral tone, "Do you remember who attacked you?"

"Yes. But don't worry, they're gone. My brother made sure of it." It wasn't a lie, and it wasn't blind faith.

Shisui didn't doubt that Itachi would save both their clan and village. He would prevent their clan from attempting a coup, and with the knowledge Shisui had yielded, the village would not fall into Danzo's disgusting hands. Itachi would fulfil his promise, as he always did. With the new-found mangekyou brought by Shisui's _'death'_ , Itachi wouldn't lose to anyone. Shisui believed in him.

"Which clan were they from?" It was Izuna who asked this time. "We cannot condone any behaviour that involves eye theft."

If Shisui had truly travelled 4 generations into the past, he briefly contemplated the annihilation of Danzo's ancestors. It would be good to see them gone- "...Metaphorically speaking, of course, since I'm blind," Shisui couldn't help but murmur almost petulantly to himself.

"What?"

"Eh?" When he realized he had spoken gibberish out loud, Shisui quickly backtracked. "Ehem, what I meant was; the thief's action does not represent his clan." Regrettably true. The Shimura clan kept their distance, even from each other. Whilst it was tempting, Shisui didn't have it in him to unalive an entire clan without provocation ( _or orders from his_ _Hokage_ ) – one bad apple didn't mean the entire barrel would be affected.

" _Naive_ ," Izuna snarled. "That kind of mindset will be the end of you and all you hold dear. It's better, _safer_ _,_ to exterminate all who associate with him; be they family, friends, or _clan_. His sins are theirs, and until they reunite in the Pure Lands, _we will not rest_!"

Shisui felt as if all the air had rushed out of him with Izuna's fierce declaration. The latter's eagerness for bloodshed and revenge, even on those who were innocent, was daunting to experience.

Due to how kind his hosts have been treating him, he had forgotten – the shinobi of this era were all bloodthirsty and barbaric _monsters_ ; they were raised differently. The Art of War was probably their bedtime story as kids. They were, no doubt, taught to never leave an enemy alive, even if they had to cull the young to achieve their goal. He had read about his clan's bloodstained history in the achieves; there were legitimate squads formed to hunt down _children_ of their enemies. The 31st head of their clan, especially, was notorious for it.

Shisui was by no means an angel; he had, indeed, unalived _babies_ on orders of his Hokage. But he wouldn't voluntarily unalive his target's family or associates by extension.

Izuna's attitude was, unfortunately, _common_ during the Warring States Era, shared by most of the shinobi clans all over the country. This was why the blood feud between the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan continued for _centuries._

To quote Izuna; they wouldn't rest till they see all their enemies gone, all because of spite, and Shisui wouldn't be surprised if they had forgotten the initial cause of their hostility. All they cared about was the vendetta. It didn't bode well for his self-assigned mission. It was apparent that Shisui needed to work on Izuna the most between the two brothers, to taper the rage that even a blind man could see boiling deep inside.

"Izuna-sama," Shisui began, tone neutral and calm even when he felt anything _but_. "I don't see the purpose of revenge."

"He took your _eyes_ _._ Killing him is _not enough_!"

"It is for me! We unalive them, and _then what_?"

"Then we make sure there are no survivors!"

"But how can you be sure of that?! We aren't omnipotent. On the off chance, there _is_ a survivor, what if it is their turn to swear vengeance upon us? To kill _our_ family, friends, and everyone we cared about, and pass those beliefs to their children, _what then_? Will our children continue this feud for us? That's not a legacy I want to pass to the next generation! It's a never-ending cycle of madness, Izuna-sama. How many more will bleed until we are all satisfied?" Shisui smiled sadly, the memories of war and bloodshed assaulting the darkness he called his vision. " _An eye for an eye_ , that's a concept I go by. I don't need to go the extra mile to demand _another_ eye from their family. Punishing someone who has not committed any wrong will only make me the bad guy. I've gotten my revenge, Izuna-sama. Thank you for getting angry on my behalf, and whilst I am grateful, I don't need _more_."

The room fell into a heavy, stilted silence when the last word left his lips. There was even an increasingly tangible taste of killing intent on the rise. Shisui unintentionally tensed, as if he was bracing himself for Izuna's violence. 

"Wait, Izu-" the sound of a door being slammed shut interrupted Madara's call.

Shisui winced.

That went poorly. But at least he didn't get beaten?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support! It fills me with **DETERMINATION** (｀*ω*´ )o
> 
> Question of the day: Who's your favourite Uchiha and why?
> 
> ~~Mine's Uchiha friggin Madara. I'm obsessed with his _everything_ ; from the tips of his hair to his toenails. I fell for his tragic backstory and never turned back.~~


	4. Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shisui hates the scent of sandalwood.

"Stay put, I'll be right back. Try and eat more in the meantime. You've been asleep for three days; your body needs the nutrition." Madara gave Shisui's shoulder a light squeeze before he was gone with only the sound of sliding doors and distancing footsteps to mark his host's departure from the guestroom(?).

Shisui strained his ears to the best of his abilities whilst silencing his breath to listen keenly for signs of life near him, wary of the quiet brought by Madara's and Izuna's exit. It was a pointless endeavour to be done inside a shinobi household(?) if he was being honest with himself, but he couldn't quite help it. Shinobi training prompted him to do basic recon, especially whilst injured in unknown territory. However, Shisui was running on fumes and the only organ that could be of use right now to determine his safety and surrounding was deprived from him. His other senses were useless in this situation.

Shisui sighed, dejected at the expected outcome. He rolled his shoulders once, twice, to rid the tension that had knotted itself into his neck muscles. As high-strung as he was, he shouldn't allow paranoia to exhaust him, particularly whilst he was recovering from unknown injuries.

Speaking of injuries; Shisui pushed the comforting quilt to one side and started to perform a basic head-to-toe physical assessment on himself. It was better to do this sooner than later and on his lonesome ( _was he truly alone in this room, though?_ ), just so he wouldn't accidentally make a fool of himself if worst-case scenario, he needed to _flee_. 

Shisui ran his fingers along his scalp, searching for any bumps or sore spots that might indicate any unwanted head injuries. When he found nothing, he continued down his neck and face, taking note of any cuts, broken skin, or wound dressings he might feel under his clinical touches. There wasn't anything noteworthy ( ~~ _his eyeballs weren't in their rightful place_~~ ), only shallow scratches he could've gotten from all the roughhousing he had done with Danzo and his emotionless puppets.

Shisui moved his hands further down his body, pressing along his ribcage over the loose yukata(?) he had been changed into. His sternum felt sore to touch, but he wasn't concerned about that; it was a common side-effect after getting kneed in the chest. Judging by the familiar pain that came from the third, fourth, and fifth of his left rib after a probing ( _Danzo really did a number on his left flank_ ), he'd assume there'd be hairline fractures, which wasn't concerning or would restrict him if he needed to do some acrobatics. Might twinge if he bent wrongly, of course, but nothing he couldn't handle. He had gotten so many oblique fractures over the years that hairline fractures don't bother him anymore.

Shisui focused on his arms next. He prioritized the bones and joints and did some light stretches to test their flexibility. He might not be able to see if any of him were bruised, but the way some parts of his skin felt warmer compared to the rest was an indication that they did exist. Fortunately, none of his fingers were damaged and only bruises littered his forearms, a common after-effect of blocking without the protection of armguards to absorb most of the damage.

Bending slightly forward, Shisui assessed his back next. Nil abnormalities detected on his spine, which was a relief. His hands moved lower until they reached his thigh. A full pat-down of his legs later and Shisui knew that he might need a month or two worth of bed rest and rehabilitation.

Whilst he couldn't confirm the true extent of his injuries due to the splints and his own lack of eyeballs, it had hurt immensely on touch and movement. The bones below his knees have all been _shattered_ as if he had landed on his feet from a high distance without cushioning them with chakra. It was practically a miracle that his lower limbs had kept their shape and the bones had not punctured his skin, and that this injury did not affect his spine. Shisui could barely move a toe without feeling excruciating pain.

Dropping his head into his hands, Shisui exhaled a long, tired sigh. Although the shattered bones would limit his mobility, chakra would help with stability, weight distribution, and gait. If the need to flee became apparent, whilst this injury would slow him down and lower the chances of a good recovery, Shisui felt it was still doable. He simply needed to... remove the splints and apply a shit ton of pressure bandages to keep them in their ideal healing positions. It would be such a pain to have to rebreak his bones just so they could heal right, but keeping his life was the top priority. The favourable and most desired outcome for his clan and future village depended on his self-appointed mission.

A head-to-toe assessment done, Shisui covered his legs with the previously discarded quilt and reached for the tray of consumables. Lack of appetite be damned in the face of recovery. Madara was right, Shisui did indeed need the nutrition. If he had to force himself to eat, he would bloody well do so whilst _gagging on_ his rations.

* * *

Izuna never came back to visit him after that. Not even after a week.

Madara had, _unprompted_ , reassured him numerous times that Izuna was simply too busy with clan matters and to not take his absence personally, and Shisui would nod in acceptance every time. But deep in his mind, he would have this doubtful thought that bothered him more than he'd like to admit; how could a clan heir be busier than the clan head? Even Itachi, who the clan and village had worked to the bone, hadn't been as busy as Fugaku.

Unless Izuna was currently on a week-long mission outside the villa- _Uchiha compound_ , it wouldn't even take a minute to drop by and say hello. This made Shisui feel incredibly bad; what if Izuna had to tiptoe around the comfort of his own home due to the discomfort he feels at Shisui's presence? He feared that he was being a huge burden, and that, eventually, they would kick Shisui – _the useless baggage that he was_ – from their home. It would make his self-appointed mission _that_ much harder.

On the other hand, Madara has become Shisui's caretaker despite the man's high status in the clan ( _the first time Madara had to help him use the toilet,_ _Shisui_ _wanted to unalive himself out of shee_ _r_ _embarrassment_ ). It made him appreciative the older Uchiha more since Madara was the only one he could rely on and socialize with whilst bedbound. Sometimes, he would even hear writing in the background as they conversed, an unintentional hint that Madara had kept him company regardless of his busy schedule.

This only made Shisui more determine to protect Madara from the Curse of Hatred that debilitated many of their clansmen's mind. Madara has only ever been kind to him, and Shisui has always been a fierce protector to those who have earned his loyalty. It was an unfortunate side-effect of being an Uchiha; they _love_ too easily, and in turn, _break just_ as easily.

And this made the question that rested on the tip of Shisui's tongue for the past seven days difficult to voice, for he feared that Madara would take that an indicator to reallocate him. The question was: _why are you, the clan head, the one taking care of me, a bastard from_ _an_ _unknown origin?_

Just this once, Shisui wanted to turn a blind eye and act selfish, he wanted to put himself first before all. _Just this once._ He blamedMadara for invoking those feelings in him, the longing for family, for someone he could be vulnerable to without feeling judged.

His then-clansmen had always kept their distance from him. They respected him, protected him, just like any other, but they weren't _family_. Not like his beautiful mother, who would hug him whenever he came home drenched in the blood of Konoha's enemies, a welcoming embrace that kept the darkness away. Not like his vigorous father, who would praise him whenever he reported back with yet another successful mission under his belt, an open declaration of his pride. Not like _Itachi_ , who was the only one there to share his fire when both his mother and father dangled from the ceiling on two separate occasions.

The risk of _mental illness_ ran high in their family line; his mother couldn't escape the monster that was depression, she couldn't fight it, just like how his father could not. One couldn't handle the emotions that came with the loss of her first child, the other because he couldn't handle becoming a paraplegic. Shisui had almost followed his family's unhealthy tradition in unalive-ing himself; _death by drowning_ , like what Madara had assumed his namesake to be. He only hoped that Itachi wouldn't be affected by extension, being sworn brothers and all that. It would be devastating news if his best friend had to choose that option one day, and Shisui was relieved ( _and guilty_ _for feeling that way_ ) that he wouldn't be there to _know_.

Angry that his thoughts kept derailing into dangerous waters, mostly due to having no visual stimuli, Shisui pushed the quilt aside and wiggled around for an ideal position to support his weight. Even if he had to _fucking_ _crawl_ , he was getting out of this _fucking_ _guest_ _room_. He didn't even know the time because Madara wasn't here to tell him if this was too early or too late to get up, his body clock having malfunctioned upon the loss of his sight.

Getting on his hands and knees was a challenge, a painful one, but Shisui was bullheaded in his endeavour for fresh air. The guestroom felt too suffocating, too filled with the smokey smell of incense, and he needed to _get out_. Why did Madara have to light sandalwood, why not lavender?

( _ ~~Too many dark memories were associated with the scent of sandalwood; mother had lit it to prevent her decomposing body from being discovered in the middle of the night~~ -_)

It was with much struggle did he manage to reach the wall to use as support. His arms trembled as they hefted his body up and stood on shaky feet. Hot, stabbing pain raced up his spine from his lower legs as if someone was continuously impaling kunai all over his legs, but Shisui relished in it, the pain was a welcome distraction.

Shisui strained to use his sense of touch to guide him towards the door, his speed slower than a baby's crawl. And although every step he took was already agonizing enough _,_ Shisui's body had automatically, on instinct, put itself into the prime posture that would allow him to move as silently as he could in this injured state.

When the pads of his hands felt a change of texture in the wall, more like shoji screens, Shisui almost sobbed in relief, he was one step closer to leaving this offending room. He fumbled to find the door, moving closer to the centre until he located the handle.

The first step out of the guestroom felt amazing, _freeing_. The second, not so much.

From memory, Madara's footstep would always disappear to the left after each visit, so Shisui headed in that direction whilst keeping his hands and most of his body weight on the wall for support.

Shisui couldn't use his chakra to navigate just yet; for in the first place, he hadn't had enough to spare as his body was prioritizing recovery than storage. All his recovered chakra had been instantly drained to correct his limbs and ribs, and Shisui was left with barely any for personal use. The option to compensate for his sight just wasn't doable for now.

With every harrowing step he took, he could feel the discomforting feel of clothes clinging uncomfortably to his sweaty skin. Furthermore, his senses seemed to have deteriorated as all his ears could hear was his jackhammer of a heartbeat mixed with white noise _(sometimes he would hear the sound of crunching along with footsteps. And it made him wonder if that was the sound of his bones grinding against each other_ ). Due to the pain, he has never felt so close to death before. It was as if he could practically feel the Shinigami hovering over his shoulder, beckoning him to use a kunai to make a waterfall come out from his throat. But, of course, that was all just his mind playing tricks on him.

Shisui didn't know for how long he had walked through the haze of borderline unconsciousness, but his hands soon came upon the rails of a stairway. This time, he couldn't quite hold back the sound of distress from escaping his lips. He wasn't expecting the guestroom he had been staying in to be on the second floor since most Uchiha houses had their guestroom located near the backyard as the view was more hospitable and accessible from there.

Ah, right. Shisui wasn't exactly a guest that needed a good view.

This mini-adventure was a bust. Shisui wouldn't be able to support himself if he had to use the stairs. It felt as if he had gone through a field of blades for, apparently, no purpose whatsoever. The hope for fresh air led to devastation and frustration and almost made him cry out loud. _Almost_. Fortunately, Shisui was a shinobi, and a shinobi was made to endure anything thrown their way.

He slid to the floor to rest. He would continue after his legs stop pulsing, and this time, Shisui planned to explore the other rooms and seek one with an open balcony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support! It fills me with **DETERMINATION** (｀*ω*´ )o
> 
> Question of the day: If Truck-kun yeeted you into Narutoverse, which character would you prefer to end up being and why?
> 
> ~~Chouji. I can eat good food whenever I want. Also, I don't have to worry about kidnapping/assassinating attempts on me.~~


	5. An eye-opener

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shisui finds out why he hasn't been seeing Izuna as of late. He also meets his new housemate.

It was embarrassing to admit, but Shisui confesses to dozing off not long after, and it was only the sound of a door being opened and closed that jolted him back into the land of the living, where pain existed and was never far away. The back of his eyelids throbbed akin to a terrible migraine, his legs still smarted angrily, and his clothes continued to stick to his skin unpleasantly – an indication that he hadn't been out long, thank Sage for small mercies.

Shisui did his best to reorientate himself to his surroundings by using only the senses available to him, but the lack of information they brought only further proved how dependent he had been to sight. He knew not the layout of the house, how many rooms there were in total, where the furniture was placed, and where the guestroom was. All in all, he was lost and didn't have much strength leftover to find his way back.

A child's murmuring was picked up by his hearing, coming from the lower level. Shisui bit his lip, unsure of how to get out of this predicament without attracting unwanted attention. When the child's voice got louder, Shisui ended up patting his legs in apologetic encouragement and grasped at the wall behind him, trying to find purchase. He didn't want to be found in such a vulnerable state on the floor.

Unfortunately, he was only mid-way to his feet when his plan to retreat discreetly into the guestroom was thwarted by a tiny gasp, followed by the rush of pitter-patter feet up the stairs.

Without giving Shisui a chance to react, hands had already grasped at his elbows to support most of his weight off his feet, which made Shisui automatically grab at the shoulders presented to him for further relief. Before he could even vocalize his gratitude for the support, tiny arms had wrapped themselves around his left leg, almost squeezing the life out of him by bringing forth unbearable anguish. If not for the person ( _Madara?Izuna_ _?_ )'s hold on him, Shisui would've doubled over in pain from the child(?)'s eagerness in torturing his poor, shattered leg. 

"Shisui–"

"Daddy–"

"Child–"

Three voices overlapped, and whilst two quietened down, the third continued unprompted. Shisui's voice was strained, and he could feel beads of cold sweat vividly roll down his forehead, soaking the bandages that wrapped around his eye sockets. He had started hearing white noise again. "Child, sorry but can you _pleaseletgo_ _ofmyleg_ _..._!"

He was promptly released with an, " _eep_! _Sowwy_!", which sounded muffled at best, but the pain remained.

Shisui was too caught up in his own suffering to remove his grip on the person's shoulders. In fact, in a futile attempt to find an outlet, he did the exact opposite and squeezed even harder, no doubt bruising the skin underneath. If he weren't blind, he would've seen how white his knuckles and fingers had turned, and how his support had grimaced.

Shisui took a moment to compose himself. Inhale, exhale. Rinse and repeat. He didn't want to succumb to the nausea and projectile vomit all over the floor. It was already mortifying enough when Madara had to mop up his vomit once, there needn't be a second time.

At the tenth exhalation, Shisui loosened his grip on his helper's shoulders and straightened his spine. "Thank you..." He expressed his gratitude with a shaky smile, his face undoubtedly pale and his tone slightly unsure as to prompt the person of their identity.

"What, forgot me already?" Shisui almost startled at hearing the sardonic question asked in Izuna's voice, having somewhat expected the older Uchiha brother rather than the younger nowadays. "Tch, doesn't matter. Let's get you back to your room before you make nii-san worry more by collapsing."

At Shisui's silence and lack of resistance, Izuna shifted and manoeuvred him into a princess hold, much to his acceptive shame. Whilst it was humiliating to be carried as such, Shisui knew that this was the only way to move him without hurting him too much. Hence, he reluctantly wrapped his arms loosely around Izuna's shoulders and tucked his chin down.

To distract himself from the awkwardness he feels at having a total stranger carry him so intimately, Shisui casually compared the two brothers' frame as Izuna started to brisk walk back to the guestroom with the child's clumsy footsteps trailing after them.

In contrast to Madara's broad shoulders and thicker arms, Izuna was built for speed, being on the slender side ( _just like_ _Shisui_ ). Of course, the latter had no lack of muscles, as Shisui could plainly feel them across his back and under his knees. Shisui's face also rested at a higher angle, with Izuna's forehead aligned at his chin.

Since Shisui was exactly a hundred and eighty centimetres tall, he guestimates Izuna was, give or take, ten or so centimetres shorter. It made him wonder if Izuna was around his age and was still growing, or was he just stunted in height? Shisui wouldn't be surprised if it was the latter – he read from the archives that the 31st head of their clan wasn't much of an accountant, which led to the death of many civilians during the winter seasons. For _three_ generations consecutively. It had made Shisui wonder why nobody had wrestled financial control from the 31st head after such negligence on his part.

But he digressed.

Unlike his expectations, Izuna was gentle when he deposited Shisui onto his futon. The scent of sandalwood still clung revoltingly to his nasal canals, so he murmured a hesitant request to his host, "Izuna-sama, might I trouble you to help put away the incense burner and air out the room, please?"

Izuna grunted without a word. The sound of the burner being returned to the cupboard, and the rattle of the window being slid open, allowed Shisui to relax some. It would take a while longer for the repulsive stench to dissipate, but he could endure at least that much.

Surprisingly, Izuna didn't leave immediately. His host moved to settle on the right of Shisui's futon, where Madara normally sat. The child(?) too followed and seated themself to his left. The silence that came after was awkward at best.

The child was the one who broke it, sounding much too young and naïve to notice the heavy atmosphere between the two adults. "Daddy?" Judging by the child's voice and lisp, they sounded no older than five. Shisui had to wonder how old Izuna was to have had a child already this big.

When a few moments passed without Izuna's response, the child continued to call for their dad. Shisui felt bad for them the more Izuna continued to ignore their call. He was about to reprimand Izuna, subtly of course, but the words were swallowed down at the tug he felt. The child had pulled on his sleeve, whilst again calling for their dad.

"... Are you referring to me, child?" Shisui asked belatedly. He hoped his face wasn't making any horrific-looking contortions.

"Daddy is daddy," the child answered innocently whilst again tugging at his sleeve.

Shisui resisted the urge to deny vehemently.

Firstly, there was no way he could have had a child who was born four generations in the past. Secondly, Shisui was _sixteen_ , and if the child was five years old, baby maths indicated that he would have had to have sex at _eleven years old_ , which was _e_ _ww_. Lastly, Shisui was a virgin. He never had any desire for sexual intercourse and wasn't curious about it at all – which made him wonder if he was asexual at times. So, yeah. There was no way this child was his.

Shisui took the child's age into account and reached to pat their head. Fortunately, he didn't overextend and poke the child's eye out at the gesture. "What's your name, kiddo?" Shisui asked with a benign smile whilst patting the child's soft, curly hair.

"Did daddy a'weady fo'geth? It'h Kagami," the child paused briefly, and then adds on in an imitation of an adult's serious tone, like it was the bloody _cherry on top_ , "Kagami ish thwee." Shisui felt his insides melt into a puddle of goo.

"Three's a good age," Shisui nodded in mock seriousness.

Whilst he was outwardly entertaining the child, his mind's gear was working its hardest. He could use this. All Uchiha, regardless of status, learned to be proud of their heritage at the age of three. Shisui knew his direct family ancestors thanks to the traditional teachings of his clan. Now he simply needed to confirm his theory and make it _his reality_.

Shisui retracted his hand and set it on his lap. He made sure his smile was encouraging as he asked, "Kagami, did your daddy already teach you about the family tree?"

"Un!" The positive answer made Shisui's smile larger.

"Can you remember who your grandparents are?"

"Ish'koh-obaa and –"

"Kenichi-ojiisan?" Shisui deliberately finished for the child.

"Un!"

"Then is your daddy's name Hansha?"

"Izuh-shama! Daddy fo'goth hish own name!" Kagami sounded alarmed and teary, which flustered Shisui more than he'd like to admit.

Shisui was quick to return to patting the child's fluffy head, hoping to calm Kagami enough that he wouldn't burst into tears. "Sorry, Kagami-kun. I didn't mean to scare you." Shisui turned to Izuna, purposefully switching his expression to one of baffled hope. "Izuna-sama, uhm... Can I see them, if they're willing?"

Izuna took a while to answer, and his voice gave nothing away. "Kenichi-san and Ishiko-san have left us for the Pure Lands many years ago." Shisui knew, of course. He had done his calculations prior to asking. Yet, he still made a show of putting on a disappointed, grief-stricken expression. "Did you know them?"

"Only Kenichi-san. He, ah..." Shisui hesitated deliberately and tucked his chin close to his chest, as if unsure if he should disclose their relationship. "-is, _was_ someone who taught me Uchiha traditions." And it was a tradition that only _fathers_ would teach their children if both parents were alive.

"I see. You sought for him when you headed for our Fatherland." It was a statement rather than a question, yet Shisui still nodded, practically confirming him to be Kenichi's illegitimate child.

Shisui would've felt guilty for smearing his great-great-great-grandfather's name in the infidelity mud if he weren't so used to creating false identities and, in the process, dirtying the names of dead people. His line of work has desensitized him to it and taught him to use whatever means necessary to complete his assigned missions.

"You do, indeed, bear a great resemblance to Hansha-san, thus causing Kagami to mistake you for his father."

"That-"

"Izuh-shama lie! Daddy is daddy! Daddy hewe!" Kagami interrupted angrily, even tugging at Shisui's sleeve as if to prove a point. Shisui could feel his heart stutter at the grief laced with denial heard from Kagami's voice.

"Kagami," Izuna's tone was strict, even towards a child. "Don't be difficult. Hansha-san is now resting in the Pure Lands. This is Shisui, he isn't your father."

Shisui winced at how blunt Izuna was being towards a newly orphaned _toddler_. He felt Izuna was too harsh but was this the common mindset of the people of this time? Was it the difference between their generations that made Shisui the odd one out? Was loss so frequent that even children weren't given time to grief?

Shisui could hear how Kagami was holding back his sobs, which was heartbreaking. A toddler in Shisui's time wouldn't have known what death was, wouldn't have known how to hold back their sadness.

"... Kagami knows," the child whimpered. "Kagami jus' miss daddy..."

Izuna sighed. The rustle of clothes and the short breeze that swept past Shisui's face gave the picture that Izuna had picked up the child and brought him to his side. "I know. He was a great shinobi, a great comrade, and I miss him too."

Since it wasn't physically possible for him to give them privacy nor space, Shisui pretended to be air. Whilst Izuna continued to comfort the child, Shisui used this time to smoothen the kinks of his background and make it more elaborate.

Father: Uchiha Kenichi, a jounin that specialized in assassination. Often did missions outside the country. Whenever he was on a mission, he would drop by and teach Shisui all about the Uchiha clan and their family. 'Promised' to bring him back to their Fatherland but never came back one day.

Mother: Aoi, a common courtesan with a common name who hailed from Cha no Kuni. The location was ideal for a mission baby to be born – not within Hi no Kuni yet close enough for there to be _potential_. Died when Shisui was eight, a common death brought by sickness.

Brother one: Uchiha Hansha, half-brother, twenty-two years old at his time of death. Only known by name as Kenichi hadn't mentioned him much.

Brother two: Uchiha Itachi, younger twin brother, sixteen-year-old at his time of death. Saved Shisui's life by killing the eye-thief yet paid the price with his life.

Shisui's background: Had started bounty hunting at six-years-old ( ~~ _went to war_ _, joined the frontlines_~~ ), awakened the Sharingan after witnessing a friend's death on the job ( _ ~~awakened the~~_ ~~ _mangekyou_ _as he felt responsible for his_ _friend's preventable_ _death_~~ ), became the breadwinner of their family ( ~~ _mom had depression and dad was crippled_~~ ), continued to hunt criminals in exchange for money ~~( _joined ANBU_~~ ), attracted the attention of a man who he thought to be an ally _( ~~Danzo~~_ ~~ _had_ _craved his_ _mangekyou_ _when he mentioned its properties to_ _Hokage-sam_ _a_~~ ), got his eyes stolen from said ally ( ~~ _Danzo plucked his eye out like it was a_ _ripened_ _fruit, and_ _Shisui_ _gouged his other eye to prevent it falling into Danzo's hands_~~ ), tried to unalive himself by jumping down a waterfall ( ~~ _he swore he had given_ _Itachi his left eye before jumping_~~ ), and was found and saved by Madara.

The rest could be built along the way, but that was the fundamentals. Shisui mustn't forget lest someone called him out for it.

"Shisui," Izuna call pulled him out from his musings. "For the next month or so, Kagami will be fostered here; until I've settled his inheritance and find a suitable arrangement for him."

Shisui would've blinked if he was able. He made do by tilting his head to the side in curiosity. "I can leave if I'm taking up your space–"

"No need. I have my own house to stay at."

Shisui was relieved as he didn't want to leave. It also comforted him to know that Izuna had indeed been busy and Shisui was just being sensitive about their 'fallout'. "Oh. I see. It's a relief to hear that I'm not inconveniencing you with my stay."

Izuna snorted. "Believe me, Shisui, you don't have to worry about that. This house has more than enough room to accommodate a family of seven. It even has two separate training grounds. With you here, I'm actually glad that Madara-niisan doesn't have to stay in this big ass house alone any longer."

Shisui must wonder why Izuna had moved despite the worry he felt for his brother living alone in this... _mansion_. Because they weren't that close, he didn't question it, and only asked if Madara was currently out.

"He's at a meeting. He'll be back shortly to prepare dinner – and speaking of dinner, I'll be taking my leave. My wife and children are expecting me," Izuna's voice was soft at the mention of his family, unlike his usual sarcastic and/or biting tone.

Before Shisui could even be surprised that Izuna was already happily married with kids ( _mystery solved_ ), the Uchiha heir audibly left the room, leaving behind a still-sniffling toddler with a crippled blind man that couldn't walk without the support of walls.

Shisui could only pray to Sage that Madara would be here soon. He didn't know how to handle crying toddlers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support! It fills me with **DETERMINATION** (｀*ω*´ )o
> 
> Question of the day: 
> 
> Who would you prefer to be Shisui's soulmate?


End file.
